


Lost and Found

by Eastofthemoon



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Family, Family Feels, Fluff, Gen, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Keith's Birthday Week 2018, Sleepy Cuddles, Threat of dog attack, dog au, puppy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-23
Updated: 2018-10-23
Packaged: 2019-08-06 10:09:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16385960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eastofthemoon/pseuds/Eastofthemoon
Summary: For all of his young life, the only life Keith has known has been that of a stray dog on the streets.  However, that all changes when the human, Shiro, decides to adopt him.  Keith doesn't think he'll ever get used to living with a human, especially if he's expected to fetch that ball Shiro keeps throwing.





	Lost and Found

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this for the Keith Birthday Bang and the cute artwork in this was done by Stardustsheith and you can find their tumblr here: http://stardustsheith.tumblr.com/
> 
> And here is a link to their artwork: http://stardustsheith.tumblr.com/post/179349261751/drawing-dogs-is-not-easy-for-me-so-please-go-easy
> 
> And the Keith Birthday Bang is found here https://keithbabybang.tumblr.com/

Keith knew better than to get close to a human. They would always yell and get angry when he got close. In spite of the fear in his legs, though, the growls in his stomach urged him on. Keith’s pointed ears folded back as he slowly approached the bench.

The human sitting there was younger than the older males he normally encountered in the park. He didn’t seem to notice Keith crawling under the bench as he continued reading his book. He was rather weird looking; is hair was a mixture of black and white, and one of this arms had been replaced by some kind of mechanical looking one. Very weird.

“Afternoon, Shiro,” a voice called out.

Keith went still and ducked behind the human’s feet. The human raised his head and waved as another human in sweats jogged by and waved back.

“Morning, Mrs. Ryner,” he called out. “Nice day.”

The woman didn’t stop, but offered a smile as she kept running by. Keith remained still until he was certain the human, apparently named Shiro, was focused on his book again. Then, ever so slowly, Keith crawled out from the bench, and sniffed.

Food, there was definitely food. He also smelled something from the black backpack, but there was no way he could steal that without being noticed. The brown paper bag though? That had a very strong scent wafting from it, and was right by the edge of the bench. Keith’s tail wagged in excitement as he arched his head towards the brown bag. Finally he'd found something to eat! 

Then the worst possible thing happened. Shiro looked up from his book as he reached for the bag. Both of them froze. Neither of them dared to move.

“Uh...hey,” Shiro said as a smile seemed to spread across his face. “Where did you come-” 

Keith didn’t give him a chance to finish. He clamped his teeth into the paper bag and darted away as fast as his legs could carry him.

“Hey!” Shiro called out in protest.

Keith ran and didn’t dare look back until he reached the safety of the alleyway. Keith panted as he carried the paper bag behind the dumpster and tore at it until the food spilled out.

It wasn’t quite what he was hoping for. Keith had been hoping for meat, but the smell was mostly the butter smeared on some kind of round bread.

‘Can’t be picky,’ Keith grumbled as he took the first bite. It wasn’t bad, but he found it very chewy and the flavor made his tongue tingle. Meat would have been a lot better.

Footsteps came from behind. “Found you!”

Keith whirled around and cringed. Shiro was leaning against the wall while he carried his backpack in his other hand. Keith growled, expecting Shiro to yell and try to attack, but the human smiled and laughed.

“Last I checked most dogs don’t care much for cinnamon bagels,” Shiro said as he kept his distance and kneeled.

Keith lowered his front and growled again.

“Easy, easy,” Shiro murmured at him as he reached into his backpack, “I just wanted to offer you something better.”

Keith stopped growling as he watched Shiro. The human brought out a box that had an image of a dog on it. “I picked these dog biscuits up for a friend of mine,” Shiro said as he opened the box, “but I doubt he’d mind if I shared them with you.”

Shiro reached inside and held out a small bone shaped cookie. Keith lifted and lowered the paw. This could be a trick, but this looked more appetizing than the bagel. It was a bone, which might have had meat on it...

He folded his ears back as he approached. Shiro didn’t move as Keith sniffed the cookie and his mouth watered. It smelled so good. He instantly gulped it down, not caring he almost snapped off Shiro’s fingers.

Keith wagged his tail as he swallowed. It was so crunchy and tasty. He craved more. A laugh caused Keith to look up and he saw Shiro had brought out another cookie. 

“Like it? You can have another,” Shiro said softly.

Keith snatched the cookie, and his tail began to wag as Shiro dumped some more on the ground.

“Think you can stay here for a minute?” Shiro asked as he rose. “I’ll be right back for you.”

Keith watched him go. He briefly wandered what Shiro meant by that, but he didn’t care since he had a pile of food to devour. Once he licked up the last crumb, Keith crawled behind the dumpster and curled up to have a nap.

He wasn’t sure how long he slept, but he woke when he heard movement. Fearing an intruder, Keith poked his head out, but tilted his head as he spotted Shiro again.

The human was placing more of the cookies inside a small box with a blanket inside. Shiro then stood up, looked around and smiled when he spotted Keith.

“Hey, you’re still here,” Shiro said as he brought out the cookie box and shook it. “Want some more treats?”

Keith couldn’t resist wagging his tail as he gave a small bark. Shiro was already reaching into the box and brought out a cookie as Keith approached.

“Here you go,” Shiro said as Keith happily took it.

Then, to Keith’s surprise, Shiro placed another cookie in front of the box and stepped back. Keith paused as he swallowed. He carefully approached the box and quickly ate the cookie as he smelled something from within the box.

He paused and thoughtfully stared inside it.

There was more food inside. He could have more to eat, but what if he got stuck? He sniffed the blanket. It didn’t smell dangerous. He glanced to Shiro who was still hanging back.

_Okay, so I could go in and get the food before I got trapped,_ Keith thought.

A part of him nagged that it was a trap and he should just run, but his hunger argued differently. How could he reject free food? He set one paw inside, and then the other. As fast as he could, Keith dove in, but just as he bit down on a cookie a click came from behind.

Alarmed, Keith turned around and fear took over as he saw a fence like door block his entrance. Keith growled and tried to gnaw at the bars, but it refused to budge so decided to bark.

‘What gives?!’ he yelled at Shiro.

The human didn’t seem to pay the barking any heed as he lifted up the box.

“Sorry, fighter, but it’s for your own good I swear,” Shiro said as Keith continued to bark. “You’ll thank me later.”

‘I doubt that,’ Keith growled as he continued to chew the bars, but they refused to budge.

There was no escaping it. He’d been caught.

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Shiro felt guilty as he drove to Lance’s vet clinic with the dog whining from the backseat. “I know you don’t like it in there,” he told it gently during the drive, “but I promise this won't take long.”

Before long he pulled into the parking lot, took the dog carrier out of the backseat, and entered the clinic. The receptionist, Shay, waved to him and just steered him towards the back where Lance was waiting for him.

Lance looked up from a folder he was reading from and his eyes locked onto the carrier.

“So, you caught him?” he said as he peered inside. The dog instantly barked at him, but Lance was unfazed. “Oho, we've got ourselves a feisty one here! Did he bite you?”

Shiro shook his head. “No, and your dog carrier worked perfectly. Thanks for letting me use it.”

“No problem,” Lance replied as the dog continued to growl. “Also, you were right. Looks like this guy's just a pup, barely a year old. A mix of a husky and german shepherd if I were to guess.”

Shiro frowned in thought as he set the dog carrier on the table. “Can you check and see if he’s microchipped?” If the little guy had an owner, they were probably worried sick about him.

“Yes, but flea bath first,” Lance said as he pointed behind him, “and you can help.” He eyed the dog carrier. “I've got a funny feeling it’ll take the both of us to clean this guy.”

Shiro laughed as he crossed his arms. “Sure, it can’t be that bad.”

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Shiro hated being wrong. The dog did not like the bath one bit. He had to hold the dog while Lance attempted to scrub it down. While Shiro didn’t mind the water, he was trying not to squeeze the dog too hard with his prosthetic arm.

The arm had been working well, but Hunk was still trying to make adjustments to it to calibrate the strength properly. The last thing Shiro wanted was to accidentally hurt someone with it.

Shiro worked to dry the dog off, ignoring its growls, the soap suds in his hair, and the small lake that had formed on the floor. He was afraid the dog might hate him now, but whatever opinions the dog held, he still seemed to deem Shiro a better choice than Lance. The dog backed up against Shiro’s chest as the vet began to examine him.

Lance quietly nodded to himself, ignoring the glares the dog gave as he checked his ears, eyes and sides.

“He’s underweight,” Lance stated as he pried the dog’s mouth open. “I’ll have a few tests done to be certain there aren’t any surprises, but otherwise he seems healthy. Also, he doesn’t seem to be microchipped.”

“So he’s a stray,” Shiro concluded as he held onto the dog.

“Looks like it,” Lance said as he let go of the dog and wrote on his clipboard. “Want me to call the animal shelter? They’ll need to teach him some manners, but it shouldn’t be too hard to find him a home.”

Shiro frowned as he gazed down at the dog. The little fella’s ears had folded back and the dog shot him with a pleading look. Shiro smiled as he patted the dog’s head. “No need, I’m taking him home.”

The dog’s eyes widened as Lance raised an eyebrow. “Shiro? Are you sure about this? You’ve never owned a dog before.”

“Only because my mom was allergic to them,” Shiro said as the dog squirmed a bit. “I love dogs and I’ve been thinking of getting one for awhile.” He gave a bittersweet smile. “I do have a lot of free time now since I was discharged from the Garrison.”

Before the accident, Shiro’s life had revolved around working for the Garrison, and he had little free time. Now though, with his main job writing articles, Shiro found himself without much else to do.

“He’s going to need some training though,” Lance replied as he reached into his medical cabinet. 

“I can handle it,” Shiro said as he picked up the pup and smiled. “I've got a good feeling about this guy. Besides, I have you and Hunk around to give me tips.”

Lance snorted. “Not sure I'd count Hunk with how much Pidge gives him the runaround,” Lance said as he brought out a syringe. “Got a name picked out?”

Shiro lowered the pup as he narrowed his eyes. “...Keith.”

Lance slowly turned with a skeptical eyebrow. “You’re naming your dog ‘Keith’?”

Shiro smiled and shrugged, although the dog seemed just as confused. “He seems like a Keith to me.” He set the dog - Keith - back on the table. “Also, you’re not one to talk after giving your dog that weird name.”

Lance huffed as he filled up the syringe. “My dog is a princess and she needed a pretty name like ‘Allura’ to match her amazing beauty.” He shook his head as he tapped the glass. “Anyway, if you’re taking him home, I better give Keith here some vaccinations.”

Shiro frowned and sighed as he held Keith steady. There was no denying the needles would hurt, but it was the only way to ensure his new dog wouldn’t get sick.

“Alright, boy,” Shiro cooed as he held the dog and Lance approached. “Let’s get this over with.”

Keith blinked and upon seeing the needle squirmed, but Shiro held tight as Lance took hold. Shiro shut his eyes and felt his heart leap as Keith yelped. Within the blink of an eye, the shots were done and Lance put away the syringe.

“There, don’t you feel better knowing you’re healthy?” Lance said as he loomed over Keith.

Keith growled as Shiro scooped him up. “I take that as a ‘No’,” Shiro translated.

Lance shrugged. “Not the first time a dog's hated me.”

“Lance,” Shay said as she poked her head in. “Mister Grey called. He thinks Kaltenecker is going to give birth soon.”

“Alright,” Lance said as he looked to Shiro. “Duty calls. Feel free to use the dog carrier and Shay should be able to get you some hypoallergenic dog food.” He glanced down to Keith. “It would probably be safe to give him some chicken and rice as well, which should help warm him up to you. Mind, this guy's gonna need a few more flea baths to be safe.”

Shiro sighed and laughed. “It’s going to turn my bathroom into a lake, but okay. Have fun seeing your favorite cow.”

“You laugh, but she makes the best milk. Hunk will back me up.” Lance smiled and waved as he left. “Give you a call later.”

Shiro waved back as he scooped Keith up. “Alright, time to take you home.”

Keith only gave him a confused look before beginning to growl as Shiro tucked him inside the carrier. “I...have a lot of work ahead of me.”

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Despite Keith’s efforts, he was trapped. Shiro didn’t release him from the box until after bringing him well into his house. Keith frantically searched the place for a way to escape, but all the doors and windows were locked. Keith sulked and hid himself under a bed as he heard Shiro put away the other junk he had picked up from Lance’s clinic.

One thing was for certain, Keith was grumpy with Shiro but it was going to be a cold day in summer before he forgave Lance for stabbing him. Keith refused to leave his newfound refuge until he spied Shiro’s feet at the edge of the bed.

“Keith, I have some water and food for you,” Shiro said as he placed two bowls on the floor. “I’ll just leave it here for whenever you’re ready.”

Keith’s ears folded back as he watched Shiro leave. It was unnerving that Shiro somehow knew his name. Humans were never able to understand dogs, although he had been told by other strays that sometimes a human would know a dog’s name by instinct. It was often a sign of a potential bond.

Keith never believed it, and he refused to now. It had to just be dumb luck.

The scent of meat and chicken tickled Keith’s nose, taunting him until he gave into his hunger and emerged from under the bed. His tail wagged as he gulped down the food and had a drink of actual cold water.

Keith licked his lips and decided he had to make sense of his current prison eventually, slinking out into the hallway. The place wasn’t huge. There was a second smaller bed in another room, a kitchen where he could smell more food, and a larger room with a big glowing box and a couch.

He spotted Shiro in there tapping his fingers on a small box in his lap. The human seemed focussed on it until Keith stepped in and he looked up.

“Finally came out, did you?” Shiro smiled as he folded the lid on the box and rose. “Do you want to try playing? I got a couple of balls from Shay.”

Keith narrowed his eyes as he watched Shiro dig through a plastic bag.

‘I don’t know what your deal is,’ Keith barked at him, ‘but I’m not falling for it.’

Shiro didn’t seem bothered by it as he waved a hand. “Just a sec, gotta take the balls out of the package.”

‘That’s not what I’m asking,’ Keith growled in frustration.

Shiro smiled as he suddenly dropped two balls on the floor. “Here you go.”

Keith blinked and pawed one of the balls. ‘What am I supposed to do with this? Roll it?’

Shiro watched him curiously before he kneeled and rolled one of the balls to him. “Don’t you want to play?”

Keith continued to blink in confusion, until Shiro smiled and tossed one of the balls. “Fetch!”

Keith watched the ball fly over his head and bounce into the hallway. Without leaving his spot, Keith slowly turned back to Shiro. ‘You just threw the ball. Why would you do that?’

Shiro looked to Keith with some expectation. “Don’t you want to chase it?”

Keith’s ears twitched. ‘Why would I chase it? You’re the one that threw it, it's your responsibility.’

Shiro frowned and gave a nod. “We’ll work on that.”

‘Work on what?!’ Keith whined.

Shiro just laughed and patted his head. Suddenly, Keith felt himself melt and without realizing it leaned into the hand until Shiro stopped and entered the kitchen.

“Reminds me, got something else for you,” Shiro stated.

Keith blinked and shook his body. ‘Why did I do that?’

The pat had felt nice but...why on Earth did he crave more?

Shiro then reappeared with a thick red cord with a gold tag dangling from it. “Shay let me use one of the tags with the clinic’s address until I can go to the store and get one with mine on it.”

‘Okay,’ Keith whined at him, ‘but why do you need that?’

Shiro smiled as he kneeled at Keith. “You’re very vocal for a dog.” He then held out the cord. “So, let’s put this on you.”

Keith froze, stared at the thing in Shiro’s hands and suddenly recognized what it was. It was a collar. Keith had seen them on dogs and in most of those cases, humans used collars so they could put a leash on and prevent the dog from running away.

Keith took a step back. ‘I am not wearing that!’

Shiro frowned. “Come on, boy, you need this.”

‘No, I don’t,’ Keith argued and before Shiro could catch him Keith dashed away.

“Hey, get back here,” Shiro called out.

Keith didn’t listen and dove back under the bed. He growled as Shiro poked his head under.

“Not thrilled about the collar, huh,” Shiro muttered. He frowned for a few minutes but then smiled as a thought seemed to strike him. “Want to go outside?”

Keith narrowed his eyes. ‘Don’t toy with me.’

Shiro stood and gestured for Keith to follow. “Come on, we’ll go out in the yard.”

Keith blinked. Wait, he was serious? He crawled out, preparing himself to run if Shiro brought out the collar again. To his surprise, Keith saw Shiro put the collar into his pocket and walk into the hallway.

“Come on, or I’ll just go outside without you,” Shiro called.

Keith’s heart raced. Outside? This could be his chance to escape. He followed Shiro into the hallway, through the kitchen and felt hope as Shiro opened the door and stepped aside.

“Go check it out,” Shiro said.

Keith bolted. Freedom! He was free! The open sky called to him! He was-WALL!

He dug his paws into the ground and came to a screeching halt. His nose was just a few inches away from the wooden fence.

‘No way,’ Keith said as his ears folded back. He looked to the left and to the right. To his horror the fence completely surrounded the yard. He felt his hopes crumble until he spotted a door and raced to it.

He whined and pawed at it, but it refused to move.

‘Locked, just great,’ Keith grumbled, ‘what else could go wrong-’

“GOTCHA,” Shiro declared as he scooped Keith up in his arms. “Thought the yard would be enough of a distraction.”

Keith growled while squirming non-stop, but he felt Shiro slip the collar around his neck.

“Almost there-done!” Shiro placed Keith on the ground and wiped sweat off his forehead. “Now that wasn’t so bad was it?”

Keith didn’t answer as he tried to chew on the collar, but found it was impossible to reach and instead tried to scratch it off with his hind leg.

“I know it must feel weird,” Shiro said as he sat on the ground, “but you’ll get used to it.”

‘I don’t want to get used to it,’ Keith barked, but trailed off as Shiro scratched one of his ears and instantly forgot why he was upset.

“I knew red would look good on you,” Shiro said with a grin.

Keith shut his eyes as he leaned into the hand, still confused as to why.

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Over the next few days, try as he might, Keith could not get the collar off. He rubbed it against the wall, the couch and even pawed at Shiro’s leg hoping he might cave in, but the guy was strangely stubborn about it. 

Shiro seemed more focused on getting Keith to sit on command, to lift a paw to shake, and for some reason to bring back balls after throwing them away. It was so odd. Shiro wasn’t that mean about it, and Keith could smell the treats in his hands, no doubt meant to be his rewards for completing the tasks, but Keith didn’t understand why he had to do them in the first place.

‘Just because you brought me here doesn’t mean you can boss me around,’ Keith would tell him, but just as before Shiro would sigh and look more determined than before.

“I know you can do this,” Shiro would say softly, “we’re just going to go at your pace.”

Keith cringed and assumed that meant Shiro wasn’t going to leave well enough alone for a long time.

“Look at it this way,” Shiro told him after Keith once again refused to shake a paw. “Once I know you’re trained, I can take you out for a walk.”

‘So you can parade me around on a leash?’ Keith grumbled from his spot on the couch. ‘No, thanks, I’ll pass. Those treats don't smell good enough for that.’

Shiro frowned as he picked up the book he been reading a lot since Keith got there. “There’s got to be a tip I hadn’t tried yet-”

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Shiro frowned as he set the book down and went to answer it. Curious, Keith climbed off the couch and followed. Was Shiro expecting company today?

He peeked around the corner as Shiro opened the door and instantly cringed. Lance was there, smiling as a larger human stood beside him.

“Hey, Shiro,” the larger human greeted. “This a good time for me to check your arm?”

“Sure,” Shiro said as he stepped aside, “although didn’t expect to see you, Lance.”

“I had some free time today and thought Keith could use a playdate,” Lance said.

It was then Keith caught the scent of two more dogs and heard a yip. He slowly poked his head out further. Both Lance and the human Hunk were holding leashes in their hands. The dog with Lance was a fluffy female about Keith's size who was sitting very elegantly.

The dog with Hunk was also female and a lot smaller but she also kept tugging at the leash, apparently eager to sniff around.

“Uh, okay,” Shiro said as he rubbed his neck, “but I’m still working on training him-”

“It’ll be fine,” Lance said as he let his dog off his leash, “Allura will be a good influence, won’t you, girl?”

Allura barked and gave Lance a small lick on the cheek. Hunk sighed as he struggled to set his dog free. “Pidge, relax, the place isn’t going anywhere.”

As the small dog was set free, she locked her eyes onto Keith. It suddenly occurred he should flee to the safety of the couch just as Pidge made a beeline straight for him.

Keith climbed to the top of the couch as Pidge barked, wagging her tail in greeting.

‘Hey, you’re new!’ She barked at him and turned circles. ‘When did you get here?’

Keith gave a slight growl of warning. ‘Stay back.’

“Uh, maybe we should intervene,” Shiro voiced, and Keith felt a flicker of hope until Lance stopped him. 

“Just give them a sec,” Lance said, “it’s good for socializing.”

_I hate you,_ Keith thought as Allura sat next to Pidge in a calm manner.

‘Pidge, perhaps you could ease off a little,’ she suggested. ‘Lance said our fellow canine was new to his home, and he is most likely nervous.’

Pidge’s small ears twitched and then she gave a nod as she sat next to Allura. ‘Right, sorry about that.’

Keith waited for the dog to move again, but when she stayed still he slowly moved to sit on the couch cushion. ‘Uh, it’s okay,’ he whined back.

“Aw, they’re bonding,” Hunk cooed as he pointed to the other room. “We can watch them from the dining room while I check your arm, okay?”

Shiro looked hesitant, but gave a nod. “Alright, if you guys are sure Keith won’t get hurt.”

“Naw, it’s fine,” Lance said as he shoved Shiro ahead. “This will be good for him.”

Keith glared as he laid his head on his front paws. ‘I’m really starting to hate that guy.’

Allura cleared her throat. ‘Excuse me, but that is my human you are referring to.’

Keith tossed her a look. ‘And he’s also the human that decided to stab me with needles.’

Allura rolled her eyes. ‘Oh, that’s nothing compared to some medical procedures, and those vaccinations are vital for your health.’

Pidge shot her a skeptical look. ‘Actually, I’m with the new guy, I hate those needles too.’

Keith barked. ‘My name is Keith,’ he said, before a thought struck him and he quickly jumped down to the floor. ‘With that said, you two could help me.’

Allura tilted her head. ‘How so?’

Keith pawed at his collar. ‘Get this thing off me and maybe help me escape this place.’

Allura blinked and shared a confused expression with Pidge. ‘Why on Earth would you want to remove your collar?’

‘Or leave for that matter?’ Pidge wagged her tail. ‘Shiro’s a nice human and he has a good home here.’

'It wasn’t my choice,' Keith continued. 'I was living on my own when he suddenly decided to keep me.'

Allura gave a wince. 'While humans can be...unpredictable like that, in all honesty this was probably the best thing to happen to you.'

Keith growled, noticing that Shiro briefly glanced over at the sound. 'How is that possible?'

Pidge stood as tall as she could, growling briefly herself. 'Let me ask you this, what’s so great about living on your own?'

Keith stopped growling and flicked his ears in thought. 'Um...I get to go wherever I want and when I want? I answer to no one.'

Pidge’s eyes narrowed. 'And where did you get food?'

Keith opened and shut his mouth. 'I, uh...find some.'

'I believe a more pertinent question would be how often can you find food?' Allura asked.

Keith’s ears folded back. 'A couple of times a....week.'

'You mean compared to the meals we get every day,' Pidge asked.

'Well...' Keith continued.

'And where did you sleep or take shelter from the cold?' Allura asked.

Keith’s ears folded back. He didn’t like where this was going. '...I had a box.'

'Oh, and that’s so much better than a warm bed and a roof over your head,' Pidge retorted.

Keith glared as he raised his head. 'What’s your point?'

'That you have the chance for a much better life here,' Allura said as she wagged her tail. 'Humans can be silly creatures, but they are equally caring.'

Keith shook his head. 'Most of the humans I’ve met just yelled and chased me away.'

“Did Shiro do that?” Allura asked.

Keith paused. “No, he didn’t.”

Pidge padded closer and nuzzled his face. 'Look, humans are super weird, but most of them mean well.' She pointed her nose toward her collar. 'It sounds weird, but Shiro putting a collar on you is just how humans show they love you.'

'Indeed,' Allura said as she proudly showed off her own. 'Lance gave me this lovely one with sparkles.'

'And Hunk set mine so I can open the door to the backyard whenever I want,' Pidge yipped with pride. 'He’s smart like that. Almost as smart as me!'

'Yeah?' Keith said as he turned around, trying to get a better look at the collar around his neck. Finally, he gave up and sighed. 'Even so...Shiro keeps trying to tell me to sit.'

'Ah, that,' Allura said with an understanding nod. 'Believe it or not, if Shiro is telling you that it’s most likely for a reason, and in some cases it may be for your or his safety. It would be prudent to listen to him.'

Keith wanted to argue the point, but he couldn’t deny the logic in that. 'Okay..but what about when he throws the ball?' He growled softly remembering Shiro's expression. 'He keeps telling me to go and get it for him!'

Pidge shrugged. 'That’s just how humans play with you.'

'But he could get it himself,' Keith argued back.

Allura licked at her paw. 'It’s just easier to humor them, and for my part I find it useful for relieving stress.'

'I don’t need any stress relief,' Keith grumbled.

'We beg to differ,' Pidge replied as she began to climb onto his back. 'Have you ever actually played a game in your life? You feel all tense.'

Keith scoffed. 'I’ve played...I think.'

He had a distant memory of playing with his littermates when he was small, but he could barely remember anything from that time.

Pidge gave a sympathetic look and exchanged a knowing nod with Allura. 'All right, let’s fix that!' She jumped off of Keith, rolled on the ground with her belly exposed and yipped again at him. 'Let’s play already!'

Keith froze, but slowly got up and poked Pidge’s belly with his nose. 'Like this?'

Pidge giggled as she poked him back with her paws. 'It’s a good start.'

'This is also a valid method,' Allura said as she toppled onto Keith and they both fell to the floor.

Keith grunted, but when Allura jumped up and wagged her tail at him he found himself wagging back. Okay, perhaps he could get into this.

At the dining table, Hunk squinted his eyes as he finished checking Shiro’s arm. “So, it hasn’t been stalling on you or giving weird feedback? The whole thing is still experimental.”

Shiro shook his head. “No, it’s been great,” he gave a smile, “I can’t thank you enough for designing it for me.”

Hunk shrugged. “Hey, what are friends for?” He raised an eyebrow at him. “Gotta admit, I'm still surprised by how suddenly you got a dog.”

Shiro shrugged. “The moment just felt right.”

Lance leaned over from his chair. “How is the training going?”

Shiro sighed, a frown creasing his face. “Not great. I’ve been practicing with Keith everyday, but so far he hasn’t taken to it. He's kind of trying my patience.”

“He’ll get there,” Lance said as he tucked his hands behinds his head. “Keith just seems like the stubborn type to me.”

“He is,” Shiro said with a laugh, “but fortunately he’s cute. I'm starting to run out of ideas, though, I’ve gone through all the tips in the books-”

“Dude, books can only tell you so much,” Hunk replied as he folded his arms. “They were no help with me training Pidge.”

Lance raised an eyebrow. “You call Pidge trained?”

Hunk scoffed. “Considering she can hand me the right tools when I need them, then yes, yes I do. Not all dogs have to be perfect ladies like Allura-”

A bark cut him off. Shiro glanced over and his eyes widened.

Keith was barking with his tail wagging as Pidge growled at him and Allura poked her paw at him.

“Uh oh,” he said as he began to get up, “I should-”

“You do nothing,” Lance said as he placed his hands on Shiro’s shoulders. “This is good!”

Shiro raised an eyebrow. “Good? He’s growling-”

“And his tail is wagging,” Lance continued as he smiled. “They’re just playing together.”

“Yeah, man, this is how Pidge and Allura play all the time,” Hunk added as he took out his phone. “I gotta take a photo of this.”

Shiro gave a slight pout as he watched Keith roll on his back so that Pidge could climb him. “So..they’re not hurting him?”

“He’s fine,” Lance said with his hands behind his head. “This is a perfect way for him to get used to other dogs. You don’t want him always snarling and growling at other people.”

“Yeah, otherwise you’ll end up with your own Sendak,” Hunk added with a shudder.

Shiro narrowed his eyes at that comment. “That’s fair,” he added as he crossed his arms. “Last thing I want is for Keith to turn into...that.” He rubbed his neck. “I swear that beast would tear apart anything that sets foot near his house.”

Lance shook his head. “To be fair, he is a guard dog. Even so-”

A bark resounded from nearby and Lance turned his head to see Allura holding up her paws to him.

“Aw, do you want a treat?” Lance said as he reached into his pocket, rummaging for a moment before bringing out a small bag. “You’re such a pretty girl.”

Allura barked as she wagged her tail.

Hunk snickered as he leaned to Shiro. “You know, I think Allura is the one that has Lance trained given how the guy spoils her.”

“I heard that, mister 'programmed a robot vacuum so my puppy wouldn't be lonely',” Lance said with a glare.

Shiro laughed as he watched Keith and Pidge tumble around on the floor.

An hour later, Shiro waved goodbye to his friends and sighed as he shut the door. “Well, that was an adventure.” He looked to see Keith standing at his side and kneeled down beside him. “I am proud of you though,” Shiro commented as he patted Keith’s head. “It's not easy meeting new dogs.”

Keith shut his eyes as he leaned into the hand. Shiro smiled. “Now, if you could only just sit.”

Keith then paused and cracked open an eye. After a moment, as if he was mulling it over, he sat on the floor. Shiro’s eyes widened. Did..did he just- 

“Good boy!” Shiro exclaimed as he rubbed Keith’s neck. “You finally did it.”

Keith’s tail wagged at the praise.

Shiro bit his lower lip. Did that mean Keith was willing to do the other commands? He had to be sure.

Shiro then held out his hand. “Paw?”

Keith gave a snort, but then placed a front paw into it.

“Yes, good boy,” Shiro said as he reached into his pocket for a treat. As Keith gulped it down, Shiro spotted one of Keith’s balls sitting in a corner. Slowly, he picked up the ball and twirled it in his hands as he stood.

“Hey, see the ball?” he told Keith, waiting until he had the pup’s attention. “Fetch!” Shiro tossed the ball and watched it bounce into the living room.

Keith blinked and gave a very unimpressed look. Shiro sweated as he began to believe he had pushed his luck too far. After a moment, the dog shook his head almost like he was rolling his eyes - but then Keith got up, ran into the room, picked up the ball and brought it back to set carefully at Shiro’s feet.

Keith tilted his head with a disgruntled look as if to say “There, happy now?”

“Good boy,” Shiro praised as he kneeled and patted Keith’s head. “I guess playtime with the other dogs did pay off.”

Keith gave a snort, but Shiro noticed his tail never stopped wagging.

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Keith still didn’t like wearing a collar, but he was coming to accept that living with Shiro wasn’t terrible. There had been a solid week of rain, and Keith found himself admitting it was nice not having to hunt for shelter like he had on the streets.

There was also the fun of coming inside from the rain and shaking the water off of his fur. It was amusing how he could make Shiro help every time. It was still hard to believe he didn’t have to go scrounging for food, or go days without eating. Keith was used to having to wolf down whatever he managed to find, but Shiro filling his bowl regularly meant that he could begin to eat when he wanted to instead of having to stuff himself.

Then, in the evenings, Keith found himself sitting on the couch, just relaxing. He could listen to Shiro typing away and growl softly whenever Shiro reached over to scratch his ears.

When the first day of summer came, it dawned on Keith that he was happy living with Shiro. The idea scared him somewhat. Was Keith really happy? Or was he just forcing himself to pretend he was because he had no choice?

Keith didn’t know the answer and he found himself thinking as Shiro let him free into the backyard. Keith dug in the mud to distract himself, but the fear kept poking at the back of his mind.

_Wish I could just get a taste of freedom,_ Keith thought, _I'd probably know for certain then._

He eyed the fence and poked his paws at one of the boards. _Too bad Shiro won’t let me go out-_

The board moved. Keith froze. He glanced behind to make certain Shiro wasn’t in sight and then poked at it again. To his shock it wiggled even more.

Keith’s tail wagged. The board was loose, which meant he could get out of here! His tail suddenly stopped wagging as his ears folded back. 

_Wait, do I...want to leave Shiro?_

He glanced back to the house. Shiro was strange, but he was nice for a human and he had never done anything to hurt Keith, but still…

Keith wiggled his head through the board until it had completely moved aside and he could slip the rest of his slim body through. He wagged his tail as he glanced back.

_I’ll just take a quick walk and then come back,_ Keith thought. _Now that I have a way out, I can always escape later._

Keith looked around the street. There were a lot of houses here and he didn’t recognize any of his surroundings. Curious, Keith trotted down the street and passed a few more fenced-in yards, finally reaching a large house that had no fence.

'Huh,' Keith said thoughtfully as he stepped into the yard and sniffed the air. 'Wonder who lives here-'

A wave of danger hit him and Keith’s body stiffened. Something...dangerous lived here. He could smell blood and feel malice coming at him in waves. Folding his ears back, Keith slowly stepped back.

'I..I should go-'

'Too. Late.'

A deep growl came from behind him. Keith whirled around and growled back on instinct, his legs shaking.

A giant dog with one eye bared his fangs at Keith. The scarred dog loomed over the pup, feral eyes staring him down at him like he was barely holding back from ripping out Keith’s throat.

'Why have you invaded my territory?' the dog demanded.

Keith barked as he tried his best to make himself look bigger, stepping backwards cautiously. 'I was just lost, I didn’t know it was your territory.'

The dog stepped closer as he growled. 'Your excuses betray your weakness. I will teach you respect and regret.' The dog lunged. Keith braced himself.

Suddenly, Keith felt an arm scoop him up as Sendak was kicked back to tumble on the ground. Keith blinked as Shiro’s familiar scent filled his nose and he looked up.

Fury shone in Shiro’s eyes as he held Keith tightly to his chest, holding out his artificial arm to block again.

“Alright, fella,” Shiro told the dog in a dark tone, “we don’t want any trouble.”

The dog shook himself and resumed growling as he inched closer. Keith’s heart pounded in his chest.

_Shiro going to get hurt! He’s going to get hurt because of me!_

The dog snarled as he began to run towards them.

“SENDAK! HEEL!”

The dog halted dead in his tracks. To Keith’s shock, the dog’s jaw instantly shut as he sat perfectly still like a statue. A scowling man dressed in black walked down the front steps. He folded his hands behind his back and locked his gaze onto Shiro and Keith. The dog didn’t even twitch a muscle as the man stood beside him and spoke in a firm tone. “What is going on here?”

Keith looked up to Shiro, but the anger in his eyes did not fade. “Sendak was about to attack my dog, so I had to intervene.”

The man’s eyes narrowed as he looked down at Keith. “Your mutt should not have been on my property to be attacked.” 

“He accidentally got loose,” Shiro said as he patted Keith’s head. “He didn’t mean to trespass.” 

“Whether it was on purpose or not hardly matters,” the man spat as he pointed to a sign near his house that Keith hadn’t noticed. “I make no secret I do not tolerate intruders-”

“With all due respect, Mister Zarkon, if you don’t want people to go on your property you should build a fence around your yard,” Shiro asked as he locked eyes with Sendak. “Especially given you don’t bother to put Sendak on a leash.”

The dog growled until Zarkon snapped his fingers and he instantly stopped. “My dog has learned obedience and will not leave my yard unless instructed,” Zarkon argued.

“Perhaps,” said Shiro as he took a deep breath, “but having a fence would provide you with more security.”

Zarkon’s face was unreadable, as he sharply turned. “I will consider it. Sendak, come!”

The dog instantly got up and tossed Keith one more murderous look before he followed Zarkon back into the house. 

Shiro let out deep breath as he turned. He then held up Keith to his face as he checked him over. “You okay?”

Keith twitched his ears and flicked his tail. 'Yeah, think so,' he whined back.

Shiro kept a thoughtful frown as he shut his eyes. “You scared the living daylights out of me,” he muttered as he carried Keith down the sidewalk. “You are staying indoors until I get the fence fixed.”

Keith’s ears folded back as he leaned against Shiro’s chest. He should have been protesting more. He should have been trying to escape. But all Keith found he wanted was to curl up in the safety of Shiro's arms.

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True to his word, Shiro kept Keith inside as he worked on the fence. He had even called Hunk over just to double check there weren’t any more loose boards that needed repair. Keith thought he would feel more disappointed now that his secret exit was gone, but he strangely didn’t miss it.

Instead, the scene of Shiro almost getting attacked kept replaying in his head and the shadow of guilt hung over him.

From the window, Keith and Pidge silently watched their humans go along the fence until Pidge finally spoke.

'So, you really okay?' Pidge asked.

'Yeah,' Keith said as he folded his ears back. 'I was lucky though.'

'Yes, you were,' Pidge said as she suddenly nipped at his ear.

Keith yelped as he jumped back. 'What was that for?'

'A reminder to never do that again!' Pidge spat. 'Sendak is a killing machine. There’s a reason no squirrel is ever seen near that house.' Her eyes narrowed. 'The newspaper kid even bikes across the street just to be certain she doesn’t go near it.'

Keith’s eye twitched. 'How was I supposed to know that place was dangerous?! No one told me about him!'

'Because we all assumed you would be sensible and stay in your yard,' Pidge grumbled.

Keith pouted and then slumped on the floor. 'Look, I feel terrible enough as is, you don’t have to make me feel worse.'

Pidge’s eyes softened as she sat near him. 'I’m not trying to, I’m just trying to get it through your thick skull just how badly things could have ended.'

'I get that, believe me,' Keith said as his covered his eyes with his paws. 'Shiro almost got hurt and I don’t know how to fix it.'

He felt Pidge lay her head on top of his head. 'Just..try not to do it again.'

'Is that really supposed to be enough?' Keith asked as he cracked open an eye.

'It’s a start at least,' Pidge said as she rolled onto her back, still on top of Keith. 'Also, you no longer have the right to complain about fetching stuff when he throws it.'

Keith pouted, but found he couldn’t argue the point.

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The rest of the day went by normally, except Shiro kept a close eye on Keith when he let him outside before bed. Keith didn’t argue the attention and crawled into his small bed, but no matter what position he was in, he found he couldn’t sleep.

_Maybe I should just leave,_ Keith thought. _Shiro has been nothing but nice to me, and I almost got him hurt._ He shut his eyes. _I don’t get why he took me home in the first place. He doesn’t need me. I cause him nothing but trouble-_

A whimper came from Shiro’s bed. Keith raised his head. Shiro was breathing heavy, almost like he was in pain. Concerned, Keith got up and placed his front paws on Shiro’s bed to take a closer look.

Shiro’s eyes were still shut. He had removed his metal arm, but he was gripping his pillow tightly with his other arm. Keith barked at him, but Shiro didn’t wake up and instead gave another whimper.

'Is he having a nightmare?' Keith said aloud.

He wasn’t sure how he should react. No way he could go back to bed with Shiro like this. Unsure of what else to do, Keith jumped up onto the bed and when Shiro still didn’t stir he curled up against the human.

Shiro’s body went stiff, but Keith felt the human relax as he buried his face into Shiro’s neck. He laid there and didn’t dare move as Shiro’s rapid breathing eased slightly. Keith gave a small lick to Shiro’s cheek and it was finally then that his eyes opened.

Shiro blinked and gave a sleepy smile as he stroked Keith’s ears. “Hey, boy, decided to sleep with me?”

'I was worried,' Keith said with a soft growl.

Shiro’s smile didn’t vanish as he wrapped his arm around him. “Thanks, I needed the company,” Shiro said as he shut his eyes. “I’m glad you’re here.”

Keith’s eyes widened, but then his eyes softened. Maybe this was why Shiro brought him home. Maybe Shiro had needed someone to protect him and it was something only Keith could do. 

Reaching this conclusion, Keith suddenly felt at peace. He let his eyes shut and vowed leaving Shiro would be the last thing he would ever do.

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Keith anxiously pawed the door as he barked back at Shiro.

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” Shiro said as he slipped on his coat. “Ready for your first official walk?”

Keith lowered his front, tail wagging. 'Yes, and I’m dying of boredom. Let’s go already.'

Shiro laughed as he reached into his pocket. “Hold on a second, I've got to do something first.”

Keith whined, but then went quiet as Shiro brought out a small gold tag. 

Shiro grinned as he reached out to Keith’s collar and unlocked it. “Finally got a proper tag with my address,” Shiro said as he held it up, “figured I'd put it on now before we go.”

Had it been a month ago, Keith would have snatched the collar away to bury it. However, instead Keith sat perfectly still except for his tail wagging back and forth. Shiro hummed quietly as he removed the old tag and placed the new one on the hook.

“There we go,” Shiro said as he put the collar back around Keith’s neck and laughed. “I have to admit, I’m amazed how still you're sitting, considering how much you seemed to hate your collar at first.”

Keith glanced down to the small tag. 'Yeah..well, if it shows I belong with you, I don’t mind as much.'

Shiro patted Keith’s head before he got up and hooked the leash onto the collar. “Alright, let’s go meet up with Lance and Hunk.” He glanced to Keith as he opened the door. “If it's all the same, I think we’ll take the longer route that avoids Sendak. Agreed?”

'Definitely,' Keith barked as he and Shiro walked side by side out the door.

“And we can have a game of fetch in the park,” Shiro said as he locked the door.

Keith sighed, but just wagged his tail. If it made his human happy, he wasn’t going to argue.

“Alright, let’s go,” Shiro said as they headed to the sidewalk.

Keith walked beside him and felt pride in the jingle of the tag at his neck. He had a home.


End file.
